I'm planning to do some paintings on the theme of cancer and the different forms that I have come across that affect people close to me. It seems like a very morbid theme but very real to people's lives and one that affects people of all ages etc throughout the world. As I haven't started on any of the paintings I have no real sense as to what will emerge. I hope to adopt an unstructured approach to the paintings to try and capture the sense of the elusive and invasive nature of cancer. It can effect so many vital organs and have primary and secondary growths which gives it a shapeless, boundless dimension. Happily there are many stories of great successes with cancer treatment yet I feel that it has a deathly dark feeling to it that strikes fear and apprehension into the minds of cancer sufferers and their families. In spite of this dark side of cancer I do not want a dark deathly tone to the paintings. As there is still so much to discover about cancer I want to convey a sense of the alien nature of the condition and how we move into the world of the unmeasured and unknown when we are confronted with cancer.
As it is a subject that affects so many people I want to show respect for the complexity of the condition and how perplexed people beocme in coming to terms with it.
Views on painting as an interest and how different ideas come to mind for paintings. Situations, occasions and ideas that inspire me to paint. Efforts to capture the rugged beauty and fascinating character of Ireland and its people. Some more abstract ideas and far-flung places that suggest paintings and also my response to moods and situations that urge me to paint. Finally some opinions and reactions to people and how they respond to what I produce.
